Sunshine
by NuttyScribbler
Summary: No matter how dark the rainclouds are, the sun will always be shining after the storm. Can Naruto make Hinata understand that law of nature? NaruHina with hints of ShikaIno. Major Fluff-Alert
1. Accidents Do Happen

Hinata bit her lip; the pain in her ankle was excruciating and it has swollen into roughly the size of a tennis ball in an angry shade of angry red. She silently cursed herself for her own ineptitude as the blonde haired man crouched in front of her to inspect it.

* * *

**SUNSHINE – Part 1**

By: Nutty Scribbler  
  
Hey peeps, I'm back with a brand new NaruHina fic. Nyaha, I'm obsessed with this pairing! –Hugz plushie of Naruto and Hinata Kissing-  
  
Anyway, this fic is dedicated to a number of ppl/parties.  
  
**Baka and Hentai**: Coz you guys treated me to Jap.buffet which is the main source of motivation to write this fic.  
  
**Myself**: Coz it's a birthday celebration kinda fic for me. XD. So review!  
  
**Peeps at KnH forum**: You guys rock!  
  
**NaruHina fans and authors**: I love you guys. I wouldn't be writing this if weren't for you guys and your inspiring fics!  
  
That's all. Lengthier A/N the end of the chapter!

* * *

They were returning back to Konoha after a particularly tough A-class mission in the Wave country. The team comprising of her, Naruto-kun, Shikamaru-kun and Ino-chan were in remarkably good spirits. Since they completed the mission ahead of scheduled, they had journeyed at a leisurely pace, setting camp at dusk to rest. Hinata didn't mind going back to Konoha a little later; her family did not really care about her whereabouts and a longer journey meant spending more time with Naruto-kun. Shikamaru-kun didn't mind either.  
  
"Going back later means the next mission will be a little later," he had said lazily which prompted Ino-chan to launch into a diatribe of how lazy he is and the lack of ambition in him. She culminated her speech by telling him great Sasuke-kun is and he responded by closing his eyes and snoring softly, which sent Ino-chan to a over the edge.  
  
Hinata had giggled to herself because she was pretty sure that Shikamaru- kun was just bluffing. Besides, she had caught him opening his eyes when he thought no one was looking to peep at Ino-chan when she turned her back to him.  
  
Naruto-kun had been pretty restless for the past few days. She could understand that; Uzumaki Naruto is a whirlwind of activity – Konoha's number one hyperactive ninja – and the lack of excitement in the last few days was boring him to tears. Besides, he probably missed Ichiraku Ramen Bar very much and they had ran out of ramen yesterday.  
  
Lack of ramen and excitement in his life can very well lead Uzumaki Naruto into a fatal depression. Worst, he might turn into an angst king that can rival both the Uhiha and Hyuuga prodigy of their generation.  
  
So, she had bravely approach him and requested him to train with her after lunch that day, hoping to lift his spirits a little. His eyes had lit up at the word training and agreed enthusiastically. Inwardly, she had been overjoyed to be able to do something to make her Naruto-kun happy.  
  
They had traded blows and Naruto had refrained from using the Kage-Bunshin technique since his clones could easily have overpowered her; Naruto's power level had skyrocketed when he hit puberty. Even with her Byakugan, Hinata had a lot of trouble holding herself against him and her chakra was nearly nil already; using the Byakugan takes up a lot of her stamina and chakra. She was pretty sure that Naruto-kun wasn't even using one tenth of his power against her today.  
  
A sudden quick sweep of his leg had overbalanced her. It had caught her totally unaware and she fell heavily on her right foot. She had cried out in pain and the rest of her team hurried over to see what had happened.  
  
Shikamaru sighed as he surveyed her swollen ankle, "It looks like a nasty sprain; how troublesome."  
  
Hinata felt like crying. Shikamaru-kun was right; she was nothing but a burden.  
  
Naruto glared at the other man and Ino proceeded to activate her specialized Pummel-Shika-no-jutsu. Everyone knew of Hinata's inferiority complex and super low self esteem. It was taboo to make her feel bad.  
  
"I didn't mean it that way," Shikamaru groused as he rubbed his bruised and battered body; Ino might not look it, but she has the inane strength of a wild boar and she never holds back when activating that jutsu that is unique to her. He sighed, and wondered if it was the fate of the Nara clan to produce males that were destined to be kicked around by females before looking apologetically towards Hinata, "I just think it is troublesome of Naruto to cause you to sprain your ankle."  
  
This caused the blonde jounin to look at Hinata guiltily, "I'm sorry, Hinata-chan."  
  
"No, no – It was my fault for not paying attention enough. Naruto-kun was already going easy on me."  
  
Naruto felt even guiltier when he realized that she knew he was going easy on her. _She probably thinks that I think she's weak, that's why I went easy on her_, he thought.  
  
But truth is, he just didn't want to hurt her. A significant portion of Kyubi's chakra had melded with his when he hit puberty which caused his chakra level to increase dramatically. If he wasn't careful enough, he can accidentally kill his training partners.  
  
And just thinking of the pretty black haired girl getting hurt had made his heart ached in a way it has never ached before. It was even worst than seeing Sakura clinging on to Sasuke when he was younger. Hell, it hurt even worst than forced abstinence from ramen.  
  
"It's going to rain tonight," Shikamaru said monotonously. "How troublesome."  
  
"How do you know?" Ino demanded loudly.  
  
"Don't you see that group of clouds there? And don't you feel the dampness of the air around us? Besides, it's late summer; rains are quite common this time of the year," Shikamaru explained slowly, in a tone of voice befitting a teacher lecturing a six year old.  
  
Ino had to agree with his logic but his condescending tone did not agree with her. "Why didn't you tell us earlier?" she snapped at him as she applied Hinata's own medicinal salve to the Hyuuga girl's swollen ankle. The cream was cool to the touch and quickly numbed the pain. She then proceeded to bandage the ankle.  
  
Shikamaru shrugged, "We are already approaching the village. If we continue to travel at our previous speed, we would have reached the village before dusk. The rains won't start until nightfall."  
  
"But with Hinata's current condition, it is obvious we won't be able to make it back to the village in time. If Hinata had not exhausted her chakra training with Naruto, she can easily heal herself. It is just too bad that the rest of us are not skilled in medical jutsus. How troublesome," he finished with his trademark quote.  
  
Hinata kept quiet. Shikamaru's reasoning was true; if she was just stronger, she wouldn't have gotten hurt. Even if she had gotten injured, she would have been able to heal herself if her chakra level was higher. And to get a higher chakra level, she should have trained more.  
  
Conclusion: it's all her fault because she didn't train enough. And because of that, she has become a liability again.  
  
Naruto noted his friend's forlorn expression and winced. Somehow, he felt that he is responsible for her and seeing her upset just isn't making him feel down in the dumps as well.  
  
"Well, it's no use we continue here, waiting for the rain to come down, right?" he said authoritatively. "Shika, Ino, you two should travel top speed back to the village. Maybe if you make it back in time, you can send medic-nins to meet us. Preferably Sakura-chan if she's available; she's the best after Hinata-chan after all," he flashed a grin at Hinata.  
  
Hinata flushed with pride, happy to hear her crush's words of praise. Of course, they didn't need Sakura, another highly skilled medic-nin who along with her is apprenticed to the Medical Specialist of the legendary Sennin and who is also the current Hokage of Konohagakure. 

Shikamaru nodded his assent, marveling at the blonde's quick judgment and skill at restoring the teammate's spirit. He couldn't help but sweat drop a little, however, when he remembered that the blonde jounin still have yet to realize the depth of his feelings for the girl or notice Hinata's rather obvious infatuation with him for the matter.  
  
"Let's go and get this troublesome thing done with," he muttered as he grabbed Ino's hand. Ino looked a little shock at the physical contact but recovered quickly and sprinted along with him towards the direction of the village.  
  
"Hinata-chan, are you alright?" Naruto asked, his features marred with obvious concern. The sight of him looking like that set off a tingly feeling down her spine.  
  
"I'm alright," she replied shyly and a apple-blossom blushed crept across her cheeks. She had gotten over her stuttering a few years ago but was still falls prey to her legendary blushes.  
  
"Do you think you can stand?" Naruto asked. She nodded her head and slowly got to her feet. Sharp spikes of pain shot up her injured limb as soon as she leaned a little on it and she squeaked, shifting her position, so that she will fall back onto her butt. It'll be painful to fall on the hard ground without chakra cushioning her behind but not as painful as falling flat on her face.  
  
Besides, falling on her butt is way less embarrassing than getting a faceful of dirt in front of Naruto.  
  
But it never came, for a strong pair of arms had caught her. She looked up and white eyes met with electric blue orbs that met her gaze with surprising intensity. He had unconsciously pulled her closer to him in the tight circle of his embrace.  
  
The white-eyed girl flushed at their close proximity, yet reveled in their intimate position. "Naruto-kun..." she murmured breathlessly.  
  
He blushed, suddenly realized how ungentlemanly you've behaved. "Gomen!" he exclaimed, releasing Hinata suddenly, causing her to lose her balance all over again.  
  
"Ahh!" she screamed as she began falling again.  
  
Naruto's quick reflexes courtesy of Kyubi kicked into action; he dove after her and when he realized that he cannot stop both of them from falling, he reversed his position so that she'll fall on him.  
  
And fall on him she did, their lips meeting upon impact.

* * *

A/N:  
  
Wahh! It's fun writing this fic. I've already got the part 2 sitting in my comp, waiting to be uploaded. Review if you want it! Nyahaha...  
  
Random line from the next part just because I want to be a fic-tease. XD  
  
Hinata smelt nice and felt good on top of him; it was way better than that accident he had with Sasuke-no-baka when they were twelve, he thought darkly.  
  
Bai bai!  
  
Love, Nutty Scribbler. 


	2. Promise from the Past

It seemed to last forever.  
  
Both of them were too shocked to move; they lied there on the ground for a while, on the sweet smelling grass under the canopy of Konoha's magnificent trees.  
  
The chirping birds flew away. Fluffy clouds drifted slowly across the infinite sheet of blue velvet. Leaves dropped from their hangings on the trees to the ground in a swirl of green.  
  
And they still had not move an inch from their initial position. Even this author is starting to get bored by the lack of development and is silently urging Hinata to show some girl power.  
  
It was possibly the happiest moment of Hinata's life. This was what she had dreamt every night since she was a kid. Whether it was purely the product of coincidence or an obsessive fan fiction writer's imagination, she was still thankful to her guardian angel for bestowing her this moment.  
  
Inwardly, Naruto was cursing. It seems that all the kisses he was going to get will be accidental kisses. Will he even have a girl voluntarily kiss him? Not that he minded the turn of events that literally landed them in this position. Hinata smelt nice and felt good on top of him; it was way better than that accident he had with Sasuke-no-baka when they were twelve, he thought darkly.  
  
Somewhere in Konoha, a dark haired ANBU member sneezed violently, spraying mucus all over his white-eyed team mate. The Hyuuga prodigy wiped the dripping snot off his face, looking decidedly deadly. The dark haired man only stared coolly back, unfazed.  
  
As though communicating telepathically, both (incredibly strong and powerful) masked shinobi whipped out their kunais and began to duke it out; Neji because nobody sneezes snot on Hyuga Neji and Sasuke because he believes that he should be allowed to sneeze snot at whoever he wants just because he is a sad, sad man whose only purpose in life is to kill his only living relative who incidentally happened to be the one who killed the rest of his relatives.  
  
It just serves to illustrate what a sad man he is.

* * *

**Sunshine Chapter 2: Promise from the Past** Thank you everyone, for your overwhelming support. I cherish every single review and thank you ever so much for reviewing. I would reply every single review, but I'm a roll here, so taking time to reply all your marvelous replies would deprive me the time to write chapter three. Nevertheless, I want to express my thanks for your support once again, just to drive home the point that more support equals faster updates.  
  
And you all would prefer a quick update then long and lengthy replies right? So to show my gratitude, I've already begin work on the third chapter. Yay for the NaruHina inspiration!  
  
**Warning**: Major Fluff Alert, Litany of typos and wrong tenses (probably) Disclaimer: I always forget this part, but I don't own Naruto.  
  
**Dedicated to**:  
  
To **b-chan1**, who wrote the inspiring NaruHina fic _Three Kinds_. I must say, this chapter is partially influenced by it. Great fic, Three Kinds is. A must read if you are a NaruHina fan. Heck, a must read even if you're not a NaruHina fan.  
  
To **Fireblazie**, for partly dedicating her _His and Her Fairytale _to me. I love it. You all must read it.  
  
To **Baka and Hentai** because you guys are just so sweet and NaruHina is probably the only pairing we share the same views. How sad.  
  
**Special Thanks**:  
  
To **Seifer-kun** who bore with my insanity, griping, constant pestering and his unfailing support  
  
To** Shadowed-Moon2525**, who corrected my grammar errors and typo mistakes.  
  
Well, that's all...ON WITH THE FIC!

* * *

After what seemed an eternity (which in actual fact, was only 30 seconds or so), our favorite couple finally decided to move again.  
  
The whiskered man-child finally realized that there was a really pretty girl splayed all over him in a very compromising position. Not only that, it seems that "little Naruto" has also realized that and has decided to come out to play.  
  
And like any other gentleman who has no wish to embarrass a young lady by his increasingly apparent...err... discomfiture; he did the only thing that he could think of...  
  
He pushed the said female off him...  
  
... And landed her pretty derrière on the soft grass...  
  
Which he a moment later realized, ironically that happened to be the position he had heroically saved her from the first time around.  
  
"Daijoubuka, Hinata-chan?" he asked worriedly, scrambling up to her and injected himself with another dose of guilt for hurting her twice within the same hour.  
  
Hinata looked up at her soon-to-be-beloved's face. His cerulean blue orbs clouded with apparent worry and concern touched her heart and brought up cherished memories from long ago.

* * *

"Daijoubu-ka?"  
  
Eight-year-old Hyuga Hinata looked up to see a boy her age squinting down at her. His yellow hair surrounded his head in soft spikes, the sun behind him tinting the tips of his locks with a lighter shade of gold. Slightly shocked, Hinata couldn't help but catch herself thinking that this boy with his golden nimbus and cerulean blue orbs was probably more deserving of her namesake than she will ever be.  
  
She just stared at him, speechless. No one had ever asked her if she was alright before; not when she got hurt during training, not when she broke her arm when she fell of the tree...  
  
... Not even when her mother died.  
  
To think that someone, even if he was a stranger, would actually care about her welfare left her at a loss for words. Not that she has much to say in the first place.  
  
"Why are you crying?" the boy asked her as he squatted down in front of her. "You have very weird eyes; are you sick? Is it because you're sick, that's why you're crying?" he continued as he wiped her cheeks with the back of his hand. "But even if you're sick, you shouldn't cry. You'll only make your self sicker by crying."  
  
"You're hurt; your hands are bleeding," he observed and began inspecting her hands. "It's ok, only minor scrapes. Come, follow me!" he said, flashing his foxy grin before dragging her away by the wrist, careful not to hurt her lacerations.  
  
Hinata did not know why; she had always been told to keep away from strangers, but there was something about the boy that compelled her to follow him.  
  
Suddenly, he stopped short, turned around and grinned at her again.  
  
"Oh, and by the way, my name is Uzumaki Naruto!"

* * *

Naruto brought her to the ninja academy and sat her on the swing. He then immediately rush inside and came out in a flash later with a bulky wooden box and a bottle of water.  
  
"Stretch out your hands," he ordered as he knelt down in front of her and she immediately complied. The blonde unscrewed the bottle cap open and poured clean water over her hands to wash away the clotted blood and dirt. Hinata winced a little as the cool silky liquid made contact with her broken skin and exposed flesh.  
  
"Does it hurt a lot?" Naruto asked worriedly.  
  
"N...No," she stammered and resolved no to make a single sound no matter how much it hurt.  
  
Naruto looked surprised, "So you do know how to talk. I thought you were mute or something."  
  
Hinata had then flushed in embarrassment but Naruto just carried on, "I'm sorry if it hurts you, but I've never done this before. I don't seem to get hurt, no matter how many fights I get into. I thought I got hurt several times and bled but when I check back later, the wound isn't there anymore. Don't worry; I've seen Iruka-sensei do this a lot. He teaches me in the Academy. Jii-san thinks that keeping me in school will keep me away from trouble."  
  
"Naruto-kun, why do you fight?" the dark haired girl blurted out as Naruto continued his gentle administrations on her wounds. Naruto seemed like such a nice and gentle person and she cannot conceive the idea of him hurting another person.  
  
His hand had stilled in mid-movement. "Because..."  
  
"Because I don't have any friends," he had said simply, "and for some reason, they like picking on me."  
  
The utter loneliness of those words echoed continuously in her mind as the fox boy sealed her wounds with band-aids. A surge of emotion swelled within her from her heart and she shakily lifted her bandaged hand to his cheek.  
  
"I will be Naruto-kun's friend," she told him sincerely.  
  
Bright blue eyes interlocked with pale white orbs and for a moment, everything had felt perfect between them.  
  
"I'll be right back!" he had said suddenly and he got up and raced away.  
  
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata called softly after him as he disappeared in the horizon.  
  
Minutes later, Naruto returned with two sticks of popsicles.  
  
"This is for my friend!" he said and grinned happily as he offered her one of the popsicles to her.  
  
"A... Arigato," she had replied, accepting the icy cold treat.  
  
Naruto immediately plopped down in front of her on the swing and started to wolf down his Popsicle, leaving sticky sweetness all over his face while Hinata licked hers in a most ladylike manner. Watching him eat had made her want to giggle (she really thinks his every idiosyncrasy cute) and he had looked at her blankly. She reached out into her obi and withdrew a white handkerchief with sunflowers embroidered on the borders.  
  
After wetting it with water from the bottle he brought earlier, she had begin to wipe his sticky face; white linen cloth brushing against whiskered cheeks. She had always thought that particular feature of his made him look unique and adorable. Very much like a kitten. Or a fox.  
  
Naruto had both seemed startled and embarrassed by her action at the same time, but nevertheless, he had allowed her to continue.  
  
"Look, it's all dirty now," he had said morosely. "You shouldn't have dirtied such a beautiful thing for me."  
  
Hinata had stifled a giggle and whispered shyly. "Naruto-kun, handkerchiefs are meant to get dirtied."  
  
Naruto had detected the teasing tone in her voice and grinned back at her. "And swings are meant to be pushed!" he cried as he ran behind her and started to push the swing.  
  
The pale eyed girl squealed at the sudden movement but it quickly turned to screams of delight as she forgot her shyness and urged him, "Higher, higher!"  
  
And he had pushed her with all the strength in his little body. When his strength finally gave out, he resumed a slower pace.  
  
"Ano sa, Ano sa, why were you crying alone in the market place?"  
  
"I... I lost my maid in the crowd and I got scared. Then someone... pushed me down and... I couldn't help crying," she confessed haltingly, suddenly aware of how foolish it sounded. But it was a terrifying experience then.  
  
Her companion only nodded wisely. "It's okay. Your maid probably forgot about you because you're so small. The next time you go to the market, I'll protect you because I'm bigger but not so big that I will forget about you!" he said. His words sent tingles down her spine and blood to her face. She was glad that he was at the back of her.  
  
"Ano sa, Ano sa, you have a maid? You must be really rich. And why do you have such weird eyes?"  
  
"My eyes... My eyes are born this way. They are the... pride of my clan. I am weak and not worthy of them."  
  
Naruto immediately detected the note of sadness in her voice. "You're not weak," he comforted her. "You barely made a sound when I applied the an-ti- sep-tic," he pronounced carefully. "I've seen many bigger bullies bawling their heads off when Iruka-sensei puts that nasty stuff on them."  
  
To her horror, she felt tears welling in her eyes again and slowly dripped a salty path down her cheeks. Biting her lip, she tried to stop the flow but a muffled sob escaped her. No one had talked to her that ways since her mother died. Her rescuer immediately stopped swinging her and walked around her, facing her again.  
  
"Don't cry," he said awkwardly and patted her back in what he hope is a soothing motion. "I'm sorry if I said anything to upset you." Hinata could only shake her head furiously, unable to speak without choking.  
  
Spotting the white handkerchief she still clutched in her small hands, he tugged at it until she released her grip on it and dabbed her face with it. "You won't look pretty if you do, your nose will get all runny and your face all hot and red and your eyes puffy. Afterwards, you'll feel like falling asleep." He scrunched his nose up comically, "That's why I hate crying."  
  
"And also because crying won't help a thing. Instead of crying, you can be doing something else; like becoming stronger so you won't be weak anymore." His voice sounded far away, as though he was lost in the throes of his memories.  
  
She looked up to him and absorbed his serious countenance. He meant those words, every single one of them.  
  
"Promise you won't cry anymore even when you're very sad? Promise you will only cry when you're happy?" Naruto said seriously as he thrust his pinky out at her. "Promise of a lifetime?"  
  
The Hyuga heir replied shakily, "Promise of a lifetime." Their pinkies touched and interlocked and that memory was burnt into their hearts and minds forever. Later, when they were much older, Hinata will always maintain that the instant their fingers touched, she knew that she will always love him.  
  
"Naruto!"  
  
Both children turned and saw the Sandaime walking up towards them.  
  
"Naruto, I see you have made a new friend," the old man said as he ruffled the blond mop of hair.  
  
"Jii-san," the boy squirmed. "Stop that, I am not a kid anymore."  
  
"If you're not a kid, then you should know better than taking the first-aid kit and not returning it. Mizuki-sensei was looking all over for it," the Hokage reprimanded him. "You better bring it to him now before someone bleeds to death."  
  
Naruto nodded and bent down to grab the wooden box before sprinting back into the building.  
  
The old man turned to the little girl. Hinata immediately averted her gaze. Sandaime smiled, couldn't help but admire what a fetching picture the little girl on the swing made.  
  
"Hinata-chan, you should be going home now," the old man said kindly. "Your father is very worried about you. In fact, he has already requested the MP corps to look for your whereabouts."  
  
The little girl looked longingly at the Academy, hoping to see the blonde boy rushing through the door. Sandaime followed her gaze and smiled  
  
"He is a very special boy, isn't he?" he said understandingly.  
  
Hinata nodded her head. Sandaime bent down again and looked at her in the eye, and said seriously, "I would prefer it if you do not tell your father that you have been with Naruto. You know how protective your father can get."  
  
Suddenly, Hinata felt fearful for her friend. She nodded her assent immediately, figuring that the powerful leader of the shinobi cannot be wrong about this. Her father may be disappointed with her, but he would not harm her greatly. On the other hand, he might blame Naruto-kun for everything.  
  
"Good, I knew you would understand," the old man said. At that moment, the fox boy ran out of the building towards them. "Does he know who you are?"  
  
Hinata tried recalling their past conversations and shook her head.  
  
"It's for the better if he does not know who you are," the old man sighed, watching Naruto approach him. "Your friendship cannot last, the way things are now. Instead, many unpleasant things might stem from it." He sighed heavily again and silently cursed under his breath. Hinata could only make out a few words but she was quite sure that the strongest ninja in the village just said, "That barn of barmy old coots in your clan will make hell if they knew you were with Naruto."  
  
"Naruto, your friend has to go home now," Sarutobi said to the boy when he finally reached them.  
  
"Aww, shucks. Can't she stay for dinner? You can take us out for ramen," Naruto whined.  
  
"No, her father has been very worried about her. You should have taken her to the police station when you found her!" the old man scolded him. His tone softened, "If you have finished helping Mizuki-sensei clear up the classroom by the time I come back, I will take you out for ramen."  
  
"Really?" adoring blue eyes shone. "Alright, I'll clean up super fast!"  
  
"Really," the old man said dryly. Now say goodbye to your friend."  
  
Naruto looked at the old man, who turned his back to them and pointedly ignored them. Satisfied that the Hokage wasn't trying to eaves drop, Naruto leaned forward and whispered into Hinata's ear, "Come to the Academy when you're free and I'll push you on the swing and we'll have popsicles again!"  
  
Acting on pure impulse, Hinata hugged him, figuring that she has nothing to lose as this might be the last time she ever see her friend again. Naruto staggered backwards from the unexpected glomp before hugging her back.  
  
When she finally released him a minute later, she couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes. She could feel her whole face burning while Naruto only scratched his head, puzzled by her reaction.  
  
Sarutobi led her away slowly by her hand. She cast one last look at her newfound friend and he waved cheerily back at her, not knowing this would be the last time they meet for a very long time.

* * *

Her heart thundered with each beat and she wiped her sweaty palms on the silk fabric of her kimono. Her father knelt on the other side of the table, opposite both the Sandaime and her. The kindly old man who knelt beside her shot her a reassuring glance. Somehow, it did not inspire as much courage as one of Naruto-kun's grins.  
  
"Hinata, you have caused a lot of trouble today," her father reprimanded her severely. "You should be very ashamed to have troubled the Hokage-sama to personally escort you home."  
  
"Yes, father."  
  
"Tell me where you have been all afternoon and who you have been with."  
  
Hinata's throat went dry. She swallowed before she opened her mouth to answer, "I got lost and found my way to the Academy and..."  
  
"Found me there. And Hinata-chan was kind enough to keep company with this lonely old man," Sandaime interrupted, shooting a warning glance at Hinata to let him handle this. Hinata immediately kept quiet and lowered her head passively. "I hope I have not angered you by keeping Hinata-chan for the afternoon. My wits are getting duller by the day and I forgot that you might be worried for her safety. I apologize."  
  
Hiashi frowned; his eyes and ears in the village have clearly said that his daughter was with Kyubi. Obviously, the old man was trying to protect both of them from him. He caught the steely gaze that looked at him across the table; the Hokage was challenging him, challenging him to question the words of a man acknowledged being the strongest shinobi in the village, the man who is the leader of both the legendary ANBU squad and the Konoha MP corps.  
  
Even Hyuga Hiashi was not arrogant enough to believe that the enormous influence of the Hyuga clan wields can rival the power of the office this wizened old man had been invested with.  
  
"Of course not, Hokage-sama. It is an honor for they Hyuga clan that you are willing to spare the time to converse with Hinata and that she may learn from your wisdom.  
  
There; the old man had won this round.  
  
Hinata swallowed nervously. It was now or never. "Permission to speak, father."  
  
The man at the other end of table pointedly ignored her. Sandaime squeezed her trembling hands encouragingly and the image of a smiling blonde boy inviting her to the Academy again floated into her mind, lending her strength.  
  
She repeated her request a little louder this time. "Permission to speak, father."  
  
It was not possible to pretend he had not heard it this time; the old man raised one eyebrow at him as if to say, "Perhaps you are getting old as well Hiashi; your hearing is not what it used to be."  
  
"Permission granted!" he snapped at the child, his pulpil-less eyes showing obvious displeasure.  
  
"I wish to attend the Academy."  
  
Silence erupted in the room. Sandaime held her small hand under the table in this bigger and coarser one, reminding her that her father would not be able to do anything to her as long as he was there.  
  
Hinata couldn't help but ask herself fearfully, what happens when the old man has left?  
  
What she had asked for was unheard of; the heir of the main house training with plebeians to become a shinobi. The Hyuga house was a noble house, and therefore should not be exposed to unnecessarily the danger an average shinobi face. They had no need to work for money as the income generated from the Hyuga estates allows them to live in luxury and with they Byakyugan and Jyuuken, they do not need outsiders to train them as well.  
  
"I think it is a brilliant idea, Hisashi," the old man spoke again. "It will be good for Hinata-chan to be around her children her own age. Her only cousin, Neji-kun has already started schooling this year, I believe. Hinata-chan must be lonely at home."  
  
The head of the Hyuga house considered it carefully. The Hokage was clearly throwing this weight behind his daughter's decision.  
  
It was most probably because of the fox boy; the Third had always shown his partiality towards the blonde child, even to the extreme of implementing the rule that no one in the village is ever to reveal the truth to the next generation, no doubt hoping that the boy can have a normal childhood.  
  
But the ruling does not stop the villagers from slighting the fox boy when the Third's back is turned. The shopkeepers overcharge him, parents prohibit their children from befriending him and the general public pretended he does not exist, hating the sight of him for it reminds them of the horror Kyubi brought upon them twelve years ago. He brought back memories of the stench of blood, the sea of bodies, the screams of horror...  
  
... And the memory of their fallen hero.  
  
It wasn't that Hiashi had anything against the Uzumaki Naruto; as a leader, he understood that sacrifices had to be made for the greater good. But Uzumaki Naruto was just too dangerous; that boy is unnatural.  
  
It is said that he never gets wounded; there is blood but no broken skin. He can last for days without sleeping, see better than an owl in the night and finer senses than a jounin.  
  
Uzumaki Naruto is a dangerous being.  
  
And Hiashi had a duty to protect his clan members from such danger. Including his daughter Hinata; no matter how weak and unworthy she may be, she is still a Hyuga.  
  
If he disallowed her to attend the Academy now, the Hokage would have eventually found a way to coerce him into letting her go. He was a sly old fox, that he is.  
  
"Very well, then. Do as you wish," he finally said. "It is getting late, Hokage-sama. Would you like to stay for dinner?"  
  
"No, I have a meeting to attend," the other man replied cheerfully. His mission was accomplished; Naruto will have a friend now.  
  
Hyuga Hiashi nodded and rang a bell. A maid appeared at the door, "Tohru, please escort the Hokage to the door."  
  
The Hokage followed the dark haired woman out of the room. There was silence in the room once more.  
  
Hinata closed her eyes, her heart swelling with happiness. She can see Naruto-kun again; they can eat together, study together and play together. She finally had a friend.  
  
"You are not allowed to speak to him ever again."  
  
Hinata opened her eyes. His voice had been laced with unvoiced threats; there is no mistaking it.  
  
And they both knew he wasn't referring to the Third.

* * *

**Author's notes**:  
  
I originally wanted to submit this to Fireblazie's fanfic contest. But I don't think I can make it in time now as there are still huge CHUNKS of the story yet to be written out. Oh well... Naught can be done about it. Especially when the closing date is today and I hate to submit incomplete stories. -.-  
  
Ahh, this chapter is inspired by b-chan1's fic, Three Kinds as I have mentioned earlier. Chibi Hinata and Naruto were so cute! .  
  
-miffed- If Naruto insists on making a promise of a life time with Sakura, he should make one with Hinata too. It's only fair.

Nobody should complain about the length now, as this is three times my usual. pst pst, i wrote part of the fic in long hand during class. SHHH!  
  
Anyway, I'm being a fic tease again. Not really, it just seemed like a good place to end the chapter. Ho humm... do you think chibi Naruto and Hinata are OOC? Too Fluffy? Not fluffy enough (Which I doubt)?  
  
Review and tell me.  
  
Fluff-ily yours, Nutty Scribbler  
  
P/S: Tried to upload this fic earlier, but 's document manager was down.


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